The Past is Always Near
by fbipandagirl
Summary: Suzanne Collins didn't give Gale much of a life at the end of Mockingjay, so I've decided he will have one. Gale married a Capitol-born woman named Velvet and together they had three children. Daughter Chasity and fraternal twins Glory and Emerson. This story is told through the eyes of Chasity. What Gale and the entire Hawthorne family doesn't realize, your past is always near.
1. Chapter 1

** Chapter 1**

"Dinner's ready!" Her mother's voice carried over into the living room where she was reading. Shutting the book, sixteen year old Chasity walked into the kitchen, ready to eat. She laughed at the sight of her younger brother and sister, both fourteen, already sitting at the table. They both had the biggest appetites of the entire family, and that's saying a lot.  
Her mother had just set all of the food out onto the table when her father came up from the basement. "Hey, Gale!" Velvet walked over and kissed her husband. Chasity noticed her father was still wearing his robe and reading glasses, which meant he was going to be going back downstairs. Of course.

All of this started a few months ago, when District Twelve got destroyed by a hurricane. The entire family was watching TV when the damage report came over the news. Since her dad had been a soldier in the Rebellion against the Capitol, seeing his childhood home be destroyed brought back all the memories from the first time they had to escape. When the Capitol had burnt it down, leaving no survivors except for a few. After seeing the damage, Gale developed pretty severe PSTD. He would lock himself in their basement for hours, even days at a time. During those fits, he would only come upstairs for food and sleep. None of the kids knew what he was doing down there. He never let anyone past the stairs. Along with being withdrawn, Gale also had crippling anxiety. He never left the house because he was always afraid that something would happen to him. He constantly felt like a target, never safe from the Capitols wrath. It was hard for the entire family to watch.

"I um, I'm gonna eat downstairs tonight." Gale ran his hand over his wife's cheek, looking around the room. Velvet just nodded her head and gave him another quick kiss. Once she had handed him a plate and he had gone downstairs, Chasity spoke up. She couldn't take this anymore.  
"Why can't he just spend one night with us? Is that really too much to ask?" She pushed the food around her plate, suddenly not hungry.  
"Chasity, you know how hard it's been for your dad these last few months."  
Rolling her eyes, she threw her napkin down on her plate. "Big deal! I don't think it gives him an excuse to ignore his family!" No one responded right away. She knew they were all thinking it.  
"He'll snap out of it soon. This won't last forever." Glory smiled from across the table, trying to look hopeful. She always was the cheerful one. Chasity crossed her arms and sank into her chair.  
"I just want my dad back. He acts like we aren't even important to him anymore. It's not fair!"  
Emerson, who had been quiet this whole time, reached under the table to grab his sisters hand. She grabbed it and laced her fingers with his. "Chasity, dad still cares about you. He cares about me, and mom and Glory, also. He always has and always will."  
"Whatever."  
Emerson squeezed her hand one last time and started eating. Chasity sat quietly throughout the rest of the meal, unable to eat. It upset her every time she saw her father hide away in the basement. So much so, that she often had nightmares about him leaving them all alone to fend for themselves. Those were the nights that she went and woke up her brother. He understood her pain and unlike Glory, he would let her cry without trying to make her see the positive side of it all. Not that she didn't appreciate that aspect of her sister, it was helpful at times. But when it came to their father, Emerson empathized with her the most.

All three of the Hawthorne children had learned about the Hunger Games in school. It was so horrible that some of the teachers who had grown up during that time even had difficulty talking about the subject. There were stories about Victors who had slowly lost their minds after the Games…maybe that's what was happening to Gale. Granted, he wasn't ever in one of the Games, but through the stories he had told the kids when they were younger, he suffered multiple traumas at the hands of President Snow. He was dead now, but that didn't matter. His legacy still lived on, for good or for worse.  
Chasity wondered if her life would ever get back to the way that it was. Would she ever get her father back? Or would she have to accept the fact that Gale Hawthorne would never be the man that he used to be?


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner was a waste of time that night, seeing as Chasity didn't eat a single bite of anything. It was just too painful seeing her father withdraw from the family.  
Rolling over, she closed her book and laid it on her table. She couldn't focus. Distraction would be the best thing for her, even if it'd be for just a few hours. Picking up her cell phone, she texted her best friend Everly, seeing if she was home.

Everly and Chasity had known each other practically their entire lives. There was never a time when they weren't in the same class in school. They also lived just a few doors down from each other, so they were usually hanging out in their spare time.

After texting back and forth for a few minutes, Chasity decided to head over to the Kyle's house. Everly had said that their friends Drew and Charles were there as well, so Chasity readily agreed to go hang out. She needed to see them. They always made her feel better.

The inside of the Kyle's house was a cool retreat from the humid summer air outside. Chasity happily kicked off her shoes at the door and headed towards the living room, where she knew everyone would be.  
"My mom made cookies. They're on the counter." Everly said as she saw Chasity walk in. Hungry from not eating dinner, she walked into the kitchen and gladly took a couple. Mrs. Kyle always made the best deserts. Walking down the hallway, she passed Mr. Kyle on his way to the kitchen.  
"Hey, Chasity." He said, laying a quick hand on her shoulder. Chasity had practically grown up at the Kyle house and was like their second daughter.  
"Hi!" She called out, not noticing Mr. Kyle's eyes following her as she left.

Everly was laying on the couch, curled into Charles, her boyfriend, as Chasity walked into the living room. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes as she sat down on the opposite couch. She had no problem with her friends dating, but the whole puppy love thing was getting old.  
The feeling of a hand lacing it's fingers with hers caught her off guard. She looked sideways at Drew, knowing he was the one who had grabbed her hand. He said nothing, though. Averting his eyes back to the movie, he just smirked faintly and rubbed his thumb along her hand. Chasity smiled and took a bite of her cookie.

Drew and her weren't dating. In fact, they had never really said anything of the sort to each other. The whole topic of dating was new to either of them, so they just sort of flirted with each other when no one else was looking. They had been for the last few months.

The movie was over in ten minutes, giving Chasity just enough time to finish her snack.  
"So, Chasity." Everly mused, detangling herself from Charles. "Is everything alright? You sounded upset when you texted me." Chasity froze. She didn't want to talk about her dad's PTSD, or the fact that she had constant nightmares about him leaving them. She couldn't burden them with that. Instead, she cleared her throat and smiled, despite her churning insides.  
"Yeah, everything's totally fine. My siblings were just being annoying, is all." She chuckled, trying to sound convincing. It worked for Everly and Charles, who just nodded. Drew, however, wasn't buying it. She could tell by the way he was staring at her. "Charles? Why don't you guys put in another movie. I'm going to go get a drink." She said, as she got up. Drew reluctantly let go of her hand, still watching her.  
"Um, ok. Sure." Charles got up from the couch and walked over to the TV, looking through the movies. Chasity sighed inwardly as she headed towards the kitchen. She hated lying to her friends.

"You can tell me the truth, you know." Drew's low voice made Chasity jump, making her almost spill her water. She leaned back on the counter, holding the glass with both hands. She knew she could tell Drew anything. She'd known him as long as she'd known Everly.  
"I mean, you don't have to, if you don't want to." Drew said as he walked to stand in front of her. "I know how hard it can be, dealing with a sick parent." Chasity glanced up into his sea-green eyes. She's sure he did understand. He was Finnick Odair's son, after all.

She couldn't imagine how difficult his childhood must have been. On top of having no father, Drew had his psychotic mother to deal with. Annie Cresta never fully healed from her wounds. That was apparent from the bruises that periodically showed up on Drew's face. He tried to hide them, but he could never fool Chasity. Not for one second.

"Look, I really don't want to talk about it right now. It's hard enough to deal with my father withdrawing from the family on my own. I have Emerson and Glory to take care of as well." Chasity said, taking a sip of her drink. Drew nodded. She leaned into him for a brief moment. She needed his comfort.  
"It'll get better, Chas. It has to." Drew said, wrapping his arms around her. They both knew it was an empty promise because in reality, there was a very high chance that it would never get better. Gale could be stuck on a never ending spiral into insanity, just as Annie was.  
That thought alone was more than they could bear.


	3. Chapter 3

Roused awake by an unknown noise, Chasity sat up in bed. She focused on the darkness, trying to hear something. Nothing came. She was about to lay back down when she heard crying. Curious, she shoved her sheet off and slowly climbed out of bed.  
The sound was coming from the living room, so it couldn't have been Emerson or Glory. Their rooms were on the other end of the hall. Tip-toeing down the hall, she crouched next to the wall, hoping to hear something.

"I'm telling you, Gale. I saw him!" Her mothers voice was shaky and tight. Now why would she be crying? Chasity listened closer.  
"Velvet, Eric is in District Two, remember? He's the whole reason we moved down here." She could tell her father was trying to sound comforting, but he also sounded tired. A pang of jealousy ran through her. Why couldn't her father talk to her like that? With so much care?  
"I'm not stupid, Gale. Don't imply that." Velvet sniffed. "I KNOW we left Eric back in Two. I KNOW he shouldn't be here. But I swear to you, I saw him at the store today!"  
Chasity peeked around the corner and saw her parents cuddled on the couch. Another pang hit her.  
"Tell me again what happened." Gale said softly. Velvet sniffed.  
"When I was turning around a corner, I bumped into someone. When I turned to say I was sorry, Eric was standing there. He just grinned and walked away, without a word." Velvet's voice caught and she started to cry again. Gale didn't say anything, but just held his wife as she cried.

Chasity ducked behind the wall, out of sight. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She knew she was acting like a child, being hurt by the attention her mother was getting, but it wasn't fair! She hadn't had a decent conversation with her father in months. And, to be honest, she missed that. Missed it so much that it hurt. Tears welled up in her eyes and she got up to go back to bed. She had heard enough.

"I'm just worried about Chasity!" Her mother's words stopped her mid-stride. Why would she be worried about her? Crouching back down, she tried to listen.  
"If Eric's in District Four, then he could know where we are. Right?"  
Chasity saw her father rub his face.  
"Maybe not. Maybe he didn't even recognize you."  
"But he did, Gale! That's the worst part! He knew who I was…I saw it in his eyes!" Velvet choked back a cry. "What if Eric comes after Chasity? Or you? He'll kill you if he sees you again and I-Oh, Gale I can't lose either of you!" Her mother couldn't continue after that. She was crying too hard.  
"Velvet," Her fathers voice was tired, but soothing. "I promise that Eric won't hurt Chasity. Ever. I'll protect her with my life, you know that. I still have the scar from the last time I tried to stop Eric from getting to her."

Chasity's mouth dropped open. Who in the world was this man? Eric? She had never heard that name in her life. And when had he tried to get to her? This didn't make any sense. None at all. She was about to walk out into the living room when a voice spoke up in the back of her head. She should wait until morning, when her mother wasn't falling apart and her father wasn't tired. She frowned and headed back to her room.

That night she had dreams of when she was younger and her father wasn't crazy. She remembered running along the beach with him, playing tag. His strong arms would scoop her up when he caught her, sending her into a fit of giggles. Her heart ached to have that again. The care free life she used to have was long gone now. Her father was slipping away faster than she could cope with it all. Damn those Hunger Games for ruining her father. Damn them all!


	4. Chapter 4

She jolted awake from another nightmare. This one was worse than last time. Bodies exploding left and right. She couldn't take it. Not again.

The time before the Rebellion had been horrible, but it had been bearable. At least all of her family was alive and happy. Well, most of it, anyway. President Snow had destroyed everything she once knew. Her old way of life, shattered at the hands of a man who thought he deserved the world. She was happy he was dead. Oh, so happy!

Her daughter was laughing downstairs, talking on the phone. Hearing her sweet voice reminded her of someone. A memory from the past crept back into her thoughts. No. She pushed it down. She wasn't going back there again. Not now.

She had to start the plan now. She couldn't wait any longer. This anger gnawed at her insides and made her hands itch to do rip into something. To destroy something. She was going to do it now. She didn't care if he got mad at her! She had to finish this part of the plan on her own. For her own revenge.

She felt the cool metal of her weapon as she slung it across her back. She was ready. Ready to bring destruction on the one man she had vowed to destroy.

Gale Hawthorne.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning started off gray. Bleak sunlight shone through her windows as Chasity stirred in bed. So much for it being summer. Glancing over at the clock on her nightstand, she sighed when she saw the numbers 10:45 flashing on the face. She had to get up. Grumbling, she shoved off her covers and headed downstairs.

As Chasity walked into the kitchen, Emerson planted a quick kiss on her cheek.  
"Morning, Chas!" He said as he walked out of the room. Chasity smiled and saw her mother leaning against the counter. Velvet took a sip of coffee and brushed her hair out of her face.  
"Hey, mom?" Velvet raised her eyebrows.  
"Who's Eric?" She instantly tensed up.  
"No one you need to know about. Am I clear?" She sounded strangely serious.  
"But I heard you crying to dad last night-"  
"Chasity. Don't."  
Chasity frowned.  
"You said I could be in danger, mom. I want to know why!"  
Velvet sighed and rubbed her face. "I knew I should have been more quiet last night." She mumbled. Chasity crossed her arms. She wasn't budging. When Velvet opened her eyes, she straightened up. "Fine! I'll tell you. Just…don't let your father know that I'm telling you. He wouldn't like it."  
"Why wouldn't-" Velvet raised her hand to cut her off.  
"Just…hear me out."

Chasity knit her eyebrows. Something was wrong. Her parents never kept anything from each other, much less went against each other's wishes. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like this.

"Eric is someone that I met sixteen years ago, before you were born." Velvet leaned against the counter. "I don't want to get into all of it now, but I had an older brother growing up named Glitch. Well, he died and, in my state of grief, went to a bar and hooked up with this random guy. Eric"  
"Long story short, Gale and Eric did not get along. On any level. Eric was obsessed with me, to the point that I had to get a restraining order on him." Her mom glanced at her. "Gale fought with him a couple times."  
"And that's when he got that scar, right?" Chasity asked.  
Fear flashed through Velvet's eyes, but it was gone as quick as it came. "Um, yeah. One of the times."  
Chasity knit her eyebrows. "Were they fighting over me?"  
"Why do you say that?"  
She shrugged.  
Velvet ran her hand through her hair, straightening up. "They were fighting over you, yes. Eric wanted you for himself. Obviously, Gale wasn't going to let that happen."

Chasity's mind was spinning. Why would this guy want her? She had never heard of him in her life. She couldn't think of any reason why a random man would want to have her. Unless…he wasn't some random man. Maybe he was related to her somehow, but her mom didn't know it? No, that was ridiculous. She was getting confused.

"What would this Eric guy want with me? I was just a baby, right? And don't just brush me off, I want to know." Chasity stared at her mother steadily. Velvet shook her head.  
"You're not going to like what I tell you. You really won't." Chasity blinked. "Your father and I kept this guy a secret from you because we didn't think you ever needed to know about who he was." Her mother fiddled with her hands. "But, you are sixteen, so if you really want to know, then I'll tell you. You're old enough now."  
Chasity took a slow breath, and, despite being unsure, nodded her head. Velvet sighed and grabbed at her hair.  
"Eric wanted you because you're his daughter."

That was not what Chasity had expected. Her mouth dropped open and she took a step away from her mother. That couldn't be true. Gale Hawthorne was her father, not some stalker.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "You're lying to me"  
Velvet looked at her steadily. "Why would I lie to you about that?" She walked over and placed a hand on Chasity's shoulder. "This doesn't change anything."  
"Of course it does!" Chasity flinched away from her mother's touch. "So, I'm just some product of a drunken hook-up?" She asked, voice raised. Velvet's eyes lowered.  
"What the hell?! So I'm not Gale's daughter?" Chasity squeaked just as Emerson and Glory walked in, eyes wide.  
"You're not what?!" Glory asked.  
Velvet threw her hands up. "This is EXACTLY why I didn't want to tell you this now. I have to leave for work in," she checked the clock on the wall. "Twenty minutes."  
Chasity crossed her arms. "What? So you just expect me to be completely fine with this?" She motioned over to her siblings. "Are the twins here because you hired one too many strippers at a party or something?"  
"Chasity!" Her mother whipped her head around.  
"Well, if I was just an accident, I figured they might be as well."  
Emerson walked into the kitchen. "We're not accidents, are we?"  
"No, of course not!"  
Just as Chasity was about to scream, the basement door opened and her father stepped into the kitchen.  
"What's going on?" Gale asked, puzzled.  
Chasity placed her hands on her hips. "Mom just told me that I was an accidental baby born out of a drunken hook-up. Thanks a lot for keeping that from me!"  
Gale's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"  
"Eric. Mom told me about him."  
Dropping the paper that was in his hands, Gale shot his eyes over to Velvet. "You promised me that you wouldn't ever say anything about him!" His hands started to shake. "We left him back in District Two. I don't see why-" Gale brought his hands up to his face, yelling into them. It made Chasity jump. Velvet walked over and placed a hand on his arm, but he shook her away.  
"No!" He started looking around the room, panicked. Chasity noticed a look in his eyes that she had never seen before. They were glassed over. Almost like he was dreaming.  
"Gale," Velvet tried, but he didn't hear her. He ran over to the closet, tearing it open.  
"Where is it? WHERE?!"  
"Where's-"  
"My bow, Katniss! Where is my bow?!" He slammed the closet shut and ran his hands through his hair.

Who was Katniss? Chasity racked her brain, trying to put a face to the name, but nothing came to her mind.

Velvet walked up beside Gale, softly touching his arm. "You burned it. Years ago." Gale turned and stared at her, wildly.  
"No. I just-damn it! No! I know it's here! I used it just this morning!" He turned around and looked at Chasity.  
"Katniss, you have to know where it is!"

Glory gasp as a horrible realization them all. Her father wasn't there. Not mentally, anyway. He had forgotten all about them in an instant. Chasity felt a hand on her back as her brother walked up beside her.  
"Dad, she's not Katniss." Gale blinked. "You're not in District Twelve." Velvet grabbed onto Gale's arm tighter. "He's right. Gale. You're in District Four now."  
"But, I don't understand. No, that isn't right."  
Velvet sighed and turned her husbands face to hers.  
"Your name is Jonathan Gale Hawthorne. You're forty-three years old. You live in District Four. You have three children. Chasity, Emerson and Gloriana. I'm your wife, Velvet. I love you. You're safe here. We're all safe."  
As Velvet spoke, Gale's eyes slowly focused on her.

Chasity had never seen her father like this. It broke her heart. He was always so strong.  
Tears stung at her eyes as she watched her parents across the room. She missed the days when she never had to worry about her father's sanity. How could she have been so angry with him when he didn't even know where he was half the time? She couldn't. That would be unfair. She should be angry at her mother. She was the one who had kept this from her. So many emotions rolled through her that it was hard to separate them. As a tear rolled down her cheek, she turned and left the room.

What do you do when your father, the man who raised you, was slowly slipping out of his own mind? What can you do, other than love him and hope he doesn't lose it completely? If the answer was somewhere out there, Chasity couldn't find it. Maybe she would never find it. Maybe she'd never get her dad back. At this rate, she wasn't sure if she he would ever be the same.  
That scared her. More than anything in the world.


	6. Chapter 6

Pushing her hair out of her face, Twenty-five year old Posy Hawthorne walked into her apartment, glad to be home from work. She threw her purse on the couch and started to walk into her bedroom, ready for a shower.  
As soon as she opened the door, something across her room caught her eye. She froze. Was someone in her house? She moved silently against the wall, feeling for the light switch. As soon as she turned it on, someone darted out from behind her door and grabbed her from behind. Before she could scream, the mystery person placed their hand over her mouth and forced her across the room.

Jabbing her elbow back, she tried to make contact with her attacker, but they were too evasive. The grip tightened around her arms, pinning them painfully behind her back. She groaned.  
"Don't make me knock you out. I need you awake for this." The voice, clearly female, whispered harshly in her ear. It seemed familiar, but Posy still couldn't place who this person was.

They walked out into the living room where Posy was tossed onto the couch. Taking a deep breath, she turned over and was about to get up, but the sight of her attacker stopped her cold. Her dark hair flowed past her shoulders and her gaze pierced Posy coldly.  
"What are YOU doing here?" Posy asked, very confused. "This is District Two."  
The woman sighed and placed her hands on her hips, obviously annoyed by the conversation. "I know this is District Two. I'm not stupid, Posy."  
Glancing around the room, Posy noticed a small bowl on her coffee table that wasn't there before. It was filled with small, blue berries. Her breath caught.  
"Ah yes, the Nightlock." The woman chuckled and walked over to the bowl, picking it up. There was an envelope underneath "Such a delicate berry, and yet, so poisonous that it can kill you within seconds." With an sly grin, she walked over to the couch and handed the bowl to Posy. "Have you heard of them before?"  
Posy glanced up, not taking the bowl. She stood up and crossed her arms, looking the woman in the eyes. "Yes. Gale taught me what they were when I was young. He didn't want me to accidentally eat them." The woman narrowed her eyes, placing the bowl back on the table.  
"He did, did he? Isn't that sweet." She said dryly. "He was always protective. Especially of you, his only sister." She sighed. "Unfortunately, the fact that you know about the berries is going to make this a bit more difficult."  
Posy scrunched her eye brows. "Make what more difficult?"  
"Your suicide, of course."  
Posy laughed. "You've officially lost your mind if you think I'm going to willing eat Nightlock."  
The woman grinned and strode on over to the coffee table, picking up the envelope. "Go on, Posy. I thought you'd like to read your own note. I already signed it for you. I remember how you used to do it."

Posy reached out her hand and opened up the envelope, revealing a short letter inside. Her eyes scanned over the page, not believing what she was reading. Why had this woman wrote her suicide note? Her mouth dropped open when she saw the last line. She read it out loud.  
"Gale, here's some hugs with all the love in the world! I love you, forever and always! 3 Posy."

She turned her eyes up at the woman, who was still grinning. "How did you know to write this? That's the way I always sign anything I give to Gale. I have since I was small." The woman walked over and took the letter from Posy, sliding it back into the envelope.  
"I helped you write some of your Valentines day cards when you were six, remember?" Posy closed her eyes. Of course she had. This woman had also helped her with homework. Obviously she would have noticed little things like that.  
"Alright, I'm getting bored. Let's get this over with. Go on, eat the berries."  
Posy crossed her arms. "There is no way in hell I'm doing that."  
"Oh yes, you will."  
"And why's that?"  
Faster than Posy thought possible, the woman whipped a weapon out from behind her back, it's black metal gleaming in the light. "You're going to, or I'll shoot you. You know how good my aim is, so I can make sure that you suffer for a long time." Posy's eyes grew wide. She uncrossed her arms and walked back over to the coffee table.

"Just tell me why you're doing this. Will you grant me that?" Posy sat down on the couch and the woman moved to stand in front of her.  
She sighed. "Fine." Posy's hands started to shake. "I want you dead because I need Gale to suffer."  
"Excuse me?"  
The woman rolled her eyes. "There are few people in Gale's life that he loves more than himself." A look flashed behind her piercing eyes. "You are at the top of that list. I plan on using his children later, and I really couldn't care less about the bitch that he's married to, so you're the logical first choice."  
Posy clasped her hands together and tried to get control of her breathing, but her voice still shook when she spoke. "But why do you want to make Gale suffer?" The woman pulled back her arm, gripping her weapon tighter. "My dear Posy. Things happened when you were young that you don't understand. Because of something that Gale did, I suffered. I'm only…returning the favor." She drew in a breath. "Now, come on. Eat the berries so that I can get home to my family. My husband think I'm out shopping."

Posy swallowed hard and looked at the bowl in front of her. She couldn't see a way out of this. Not at all. She knew the woman had good aim and could make her writhe in pain until she finally died. She'd seen her in action before.  
Reaching out a shaky hand, she grabbed a few berries and brought them up to her mouth.  
"You know, you were always my favorite Hawthorne child. You never broke my heart."  
Posy would have questioned this, but she had already bit down on the berries. They were horribly bitter. Within seconds, the room went dark the last image on Posy's mind was Gale, kissing her good night.


	7. Chapter 7

A tear dropped from Chasity's cheek and landed on her book, leaving a mark on a page. Frustrated, she closed the book and threw it down on her bed.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't focus.  
Gale Hawthorne was not her father. Some psycho stalker was.  
No, that wasn't right. It couldn't be right. It didn't make sense.

Chasity jumped at the sound of a knock at her door. Her mother stood against the frame, eyes tired. She was carrying too much weight these days.  
"I'm still not happy with you." Chasity snapped, instantly wishing she could take it back. She wasn't being fair to her mother.  
Velvet stayed against the door frame and crossed her arms. "I know you're not. I guess it's understandable, though, seeing how I just ruined your life." Her mother's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Chasity glared at the floor, trying to keep her composure. When it came to personality, she had a lot of her mother. Which, unfortunately, included a sarcastic, and stubborn temper.

"Look, Chasity. Just because Gale didn't give you your genes, does not mean he isn't your father. Your father is who raised you and helped shape you into the person that you become. Gale's done all that and more." Her mother looked down at the floor, pausing to take a deep breath.  
"You had asked me earlier if your father had ever fought over you," Velvet eyed Chasity solidly. "You don't realize it, but Gale almost died trying to protect you. Literally."  
Chasity stared at her mother, unblinking. She hadn't heart of this before.  
"Basically, Eric came up to me one day and, realizing that I was pregnant with you, tried to figure out if he was the father." Velvet shook her head.  
"There was no way I was letting him know that you were his child. He was a very unstable person and wasn't safe at all. But I froze up when he asked me that. I was got terrified because I didn't know what to say." Her eyes turned to meet Chasity's.  
"Gale took up for me, though. Without skipping a beat, he told Eric that he was the father of my child. That pissed Eric off. More than either of us realized. Do you know what Eric did next?" Her mother asked. Chasity shook her head.  
"Eric stabbed Gale. Just like that. He came so close to dying, Chasity. It was horrible." A tear slipped from her mother's eye and she quickly wiped it away. "I seriously thought I was going to lose Gale. I mean, he was bleeding so much and I couldn't do anything but hold him." Velvet drifted into her memories for a moment, leaving Chasity stunned.

Her parents had always told her that the scar on her fathers stomach was a birthmark. She had never realized the severity of it before.

Watching someone you love, slowly die in your arms, and not being able to do a thing about it? She couldn't imagine the horror of being that helpless. For a moment, an image of Drew flashed across her mind. Covered in blood and life draining from his sea-green eyes. Chasity shook her head to make it go away. She didn't love Drew…he was just a friend. Nothing more.

"So, if you EVER get to thinking that Gale doesn't care about you," Her mother's voice drifted into her thoughts. "Just remember that he claimed you as his own before you were born. He really does love you."  
Chasity nodded. She felt like crying.

She loved her father so much, yet he was slipping away so fast. She had never seen him lose touch with reality like he had earlier. He had thought she as someone else. His own daughter. It confused her.

"Who's Katniss?" Chasity asked, remembering the name her father had used.  
Something flashed behind her mother's eyes. "Someone your father grew up with. I never met her."  
Chasity sighed. Her mother was keeping something from her. She could tell. But she was too drained to ask any more questions.  
Her mother walked over to the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "It'll be alright, baby. I promise" Chasity knew it wouldn't be, but she smiled sadly at her mother as she left the room anyway.

Grabbing her cell phone off of the dresser, she texted Drew, telling him to meet her at their secret hideout. He knew everything that was happening with her father, so she wouldn't have to explain much of what was going on.  
Calling to her mom as she left, Chasity headed down to the beach, needing to escape from it all.

Walking to the hideout was tricky. They had built it a few years ago amongst the rocks that had crowded the beach's shore line to keep most people away. It was their little secret. And, even though they loved them, it was a place they could get way from Everly and Charles and just be together.

"You're late." Drew's voice called out to her from the entrance of the fort as she walked up. She could see the cans of Mountain Dew and the box of Whoppers laying inside. They always had the same snack whenever they hung out here.  
"I am never late, nor am I early." Chasity sucked inside. "I arrive precisely when I meant to!" They knew it was lame, but they loved it none the less.  
Smiling, Drew tossed her the box of whoppers. "So, what's up? Something with dad?"

Chasity spent the next half hour explaining all that had happened that morning. Her mother telling her about Eric, her fathers mental breakdown, him calling her Katniss, the story of her father getting stabbed…everything.

"Wow. That is a lot of stuff to take on. Especially all in one day." Drew mused, picking at the sand around his feet.  
"Exactly! So you understand my being angry at my mother, then?" Chasity asked, hugging her knees. Drew flicked his eyes to her, looking surprised.  
"No, not really." Chasity's mouth dropped open, but she didn't say anything. "Look, yes she kept something from you for sixteen years, but you shouldn't be mad at her. She'd got enough going on with your father."  
Chasity couldn't believe what she was hearing. Drew was supposed to agree with her!  
"Come on! You have to know what I'm talking about! Your father was never around!"  
Drew looked like he'd been slapped in the face. "My father has been dead since before I was born, Chasity. Don't bring him into this!"  
Her eyes flared as she stared at him.  
"Finnick Odair was a good man! I will NOT have you saying he was a bum father for something he couldn't help. He was KILLED, Chasity. He didn't just run away from my mother and me."  
Tears replaced the fire in her eyes as she realized what she'd done. Her damn temper again.  
"Look, Drew…I'm sorry."  
Hot tears rolled down her face as Drew sighed. "Ok."

That afternoon, they spent their time in the fort talking about their childhoods. Drew told Chasity about what it was like growing up with Annie Cresta as a single mother. It wasn't pleasant. In turn, Chasity told him all about the time before her father had gone insane, a side that Drew was never able to see from his own mother.

They drew strength from each other, knowing that together, they were understood.


	8. Chapter 8

Flipping on her light switch, she strode across the room and threw her weapon down on the bed. Should she really be doing this to Gale? She had cared about him once…was all of this worth it?

She turned and eyed the picture of her family on the night stand. They had been happy once. Her and her family. She snarled and threw the picture, smashing it on the adjacent wall.

Gale ruined everything! He always did! She screamed and ran her hands through her hair. Yes, this was all worth it. What Gale did to her could never be undone. Could never fully be paid for. She hated him for that. She hated him with every fiber of her being.

Gale had a wonderful life now with a wife and kids. She had had that once. In what seemed like another world. She was happy once. Before Gale destroyed every last bit of her world. He had to pay. He had to.

"Honey?" She jumped at the voice coming from her door. Her husband. Great.  
"Not now, Eric!" She screamed behind her. She couldn't' deal with him right now. Her feelings were going crazy right now. She had to calm herself down. He came in anyway, shutting the door behind him.  
"I see you're back from 'shopping.'" Eric moved his fingers in quotes. She rolled her eyes. "I thought you were going to wait with Posy. You SAID we were going to take care of her as a team!" She waved her hand as Eric sat down on the bed.  
"We'll still do everything else together…I just couldn't wait." She reached over and grabbed Eric's hand, petting it softly. "Besides," she grinned. "Soon, you'll get the one thing you want. The one thing that this is all about."  
Eric grinned and placed a kiss on his wife's forehead. She closed her eyes as he wrapped her in a hug. "Yes, the one thing I want. Who I've wanted for sixteen years." He kissed her head. "Chasity."


	9. Chapter 9

"Chasity." The sound of her name wafted into her dreams, causing her to stir. Something brushed up against her cheek. She absent-mindedly swatted at it.  
"Chasity." This time the voice was clearer. Whoever was speaking had a low and gentle voice, she was sure. She racked her brain, trying to figure out who was calling her. It only took her a second to realize who it was. She recognized his voice anywhere. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, Drew was staring down at her. He flashed a small smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear.  
"Good afternoon, Sleeping Beauty." He purred as he tightened his grip on her. Smiling, she laid her head back down on his chest, hoping to stay protected in his arms forever.  
"Sorry for waking you," Drew said. "But your phone has been going off like crazy. It even woke me up."

Chasity sighed and reluctantly sat up, reaching for her phone. Sure enough, there were three missed calls and five texts. All from her mother. "Great." She mumbled, stuffing the phone back into her pocket.

This is just what she wanted. Her mother probably wanted to yell at her again. Why did she have to have such a bad temper?

Drew cleared his throat as he propped himself up against the wall. "What's up?" She shot him a look.  
"My mom wants me to come home."  
Drew stretched the stiffness out of his arms. "Oh, well. It is getting late, I suppose." The setting sun cast an orange hue over the sand.  
"I don't care. I'm not ready to talk to them." Chasity grumbled. Drew dropped his arms.  
"Seriously? You can't stay mad at your mom forever."  
"Sure I can. And I will!"  
Drew rolled his eyes. "For god's sake Chasity, give it a rest! Yes, your parents kept something from you. Yes, it hurt. But don't you see it was for your own good?" She glared at him, not saying anything. He crossed his arms. "I honestly don't see why you have to be so dramatic." Her eyes widened.  
"You don't? You really don't understand why I'd be upset that my father wasn't who I thought he was? I thought you would understand most of all!"  
"Why would I understand? Oh, because my father was a bum who was never there." Drew clenched his fists in the sand. "HE'S DEAD, CHASITY! I told you not to bring him into this!" His knuckles turned white. "You can be such a brat sometimes, you know that?"

She turned to face him, mouth agape. "Just a minute ago, we were both asleep in each other's arms, spilling our hearts to each other, and now you're calling me a brat? What the hell?!"

Drew closed his eyes for a brief second, trying to keep his voice steady but failing. "Well, you deserve it! I mean honestly, you're making too big of a deal out of this. You need to grow up and accept what has happened to you!" Raising her hand, she was about to protest when Drew spoke up again.

"Ok, you found out this morning that Gale didn't give you any of your genetics. So? You have NO idea how lucky you are!" He ran his hand through his hair and locked on her gaze, his sea-green eyes blazing.  
"You have had a man in your life since before you were born. Not only that, but he's also raised you with a love and compassion that people would be envious of. Hell, I'M envious of you. I never had a dad growing up, but I don't go around moping all the time." He shook his head.

"You think you understand how it feels to be abandoned, but you don't. You don't know what it's like to not have a father. I get asked all the time if I'm Finnick Odair's son and it hurts every time I say yes. You know why? Because when I do, the person who asked me always says something that they remember about my father…the father I was never able to know." Drew turned and looked out at the waves, his eyes glistening.  
"And it hurts like hell every time you bring him up just to point out the fact that he was never there. I know my father would have given anything to be in my life and it makes me so angry when you try and degrade his image."

They both sat there a while, neither talking or even looking at each other. Chasity had always known that Drew had some issues growing up, but she had always assumed they were about his mother, Annie. She had never realized how hurt he actually was about Finnick's death. And now, because of her damn mouth, she had to go and make it all worse again.

Without warning, Drew cleared his throat and stood up, wiping the sand from his shorts. "Just go be with your family and quit acting like a child."  
And with that, Drew was gone. Taking with him, her sense of security.

How was she going to fix this one?

As Chasity came home that night, she found herself wanting to cry at the littlest of things. She couldn't handle having Drew upset with her. He had never yelled at her before, much less stormed off without fixing things.  
It felt wrong, unnatural to fight with Drew.  
She hated it.


	10. Chapter 10

"It's Posy. She's dead."

That was all that Gale said as he hung up the phone, the entire family hovering next to him. They were all in shock.  
Suicide, Hazelle had said. At least, that's what the police had told her. No one believed it, though. Posy was always so happy and care-free. It was insane to think that she had even considered suicide.

Gale was having a hard time functioning before Posy died, so hearing about her death just sent him into a state of constant panic attacks.  
One of these times, Gale had just happened to come upstairs at the same time Glory was making herself some breakfast. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him. But seeing Glory in her pajamas and her hair in braids made him have a serious panic attack. It was so bad that it woke both Chasity and Emerson up. When they came running into the kitchen, Gale was shaking violently and trying to talk to Glory, thinking she was his sister. All the while, their mother was trying to calm him down with the short snippets of truth she always said.  
"Your name is Jonathan Gale Hawthorne. You're forty-three years old. You live in District Four. You have three children. Chasity, Emerson and Gloriana. I'm your wife, Velvet. I love you. You're safe here. We're all safe."  
It took thirty minutes for him to stop shaking and another fifteen to begin focusing on reality; one of his longest bouts yet.

The days leading up to the funeral were torture for Chasity. On top of having her Aunt's death and her father to deal with, she also had Drew. He was still upset with her. And for good reason. It took her a few days, but Chasity realized how wrong it was for her to say the things that she had said.  
Her damn temper had to get in the way of everything and she always got so furious with herself for not being able to keep it in check.  
She could always call Drew and ask him to come to the funeral with her. She knew he would do it, even if he was still mad at her, but that wouldn't be fair to him. So she called Everly instead.  
After explaining everything, Everly agreed that she'd have her parents drive her to District Two for the funeral. Chasity was so happy that she actually smiled, something she hadn't done for days.  
She wouldn't be as alone as she thought.

District Two was only a couple hours away, so it wasn't that bad of a drive. It was difficult to get Gale out of the house, though. His anxiety had managed to get worse after everything that had happened. The only way they got him to get in the car was to have him talking on the phone with his mother the entire ride. It didn't bother anyone, though. Chasity read while Glory and Emerson played on their phones and listened to music.  
It was a nice escape, being able to read. Chasity had been so worried these past few days that she hadn't been able to read like she normally did. She hadn't realized she had missed it so much. It allowed her to forget about her problems, even for just a little bit.

District Two was a lot bigger than her father had described. Multistory buildings loomed over the streets and shadowed the people milling about. Lucky for them, Posy's funeral was going to be on the outer edge of town and away from all of the commotion.

When they arrived at the funeral home, everyone piled out of the car. Chasity needed a few moments alone, though. She told everyone to go on inside and that she'd follow in a minute. The air outside was warm, so she didn't mind standing outside in the sun.  
She felt bad for not having called Drew and apologized. She knew she messed up, but something inside her just didn't want to own up to her mistakes. She hated it.

Chasity was just about to take out her phone and call Drew, but a car pulled up to the sidewalk in front of her. She smiled because she recognized it. The Kyle's van. Everly was there.

Running across the street, Everly's dark hair bounced around her shoulders. When she reached Chasity, she wrapped in her a tight hug.  
"I'm so sorry, Chas!" Everly's brown eyes held so much sadness.  
"Thanks."

After walking inside and finding their seats, Chasity turned to Everly.  
"Where's your mom?"  
Everly smiled sadly. "She's outside in the car." When Chasity raised her eye brows, she added, "She's having one of her headaches and she didn't want to be around people."  
Chasity nodded understandingly. Mrs. Kyle got headaches all the time. They were cause by an injury that she had gotten as a child and it flared up often. So often that Chasity hadn't seen her much. Most times when she would go over to the Kyle's house, her and Everly would have to play outside because her mother's head aches were so bad.

None of this made any sense. Posy never would have killed herself. There was just no way. Yes, there had been a note and everything, but it still didn't fit anything. Posy had always seemed so positive, so caring. She had never given the slightest hint that she was suicidal. Not to anyone.

Gale was the original choice to give the eulogy, but for obvious reasons, he declined. His youngest brother, Vick, was asked to deliver it instead. Chasity wasn't sure how her father was going to react to hearing about his sister's death. He practically had mental breakdowns when they were at home alone. Hopefully everything would turn out alright and they could get home, unfazed.

"Life in the Seam was tough," Vick began. "Even though I was 6 and don't remember much, I do remember that my older brothers took care of me and Posy. With our dad gone," Chasity looked over at her father, worried. His eyes were glassed over.

'Please dad,' she thought, 'please don't break down. Not now.' She didn't want to know what he would do in a room full of people.

"Gale and Rory did their best. Without our dad around, they provided for our family with everything that they had. We were all lucky." Vick's voice cracked and he paused to take a breath.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chasity noticed her father lean forward and run his hands through his hair. No, just a little bit longer. She took a deep breath and Everly grabbed her hand. Thankful, Chasity took it and gave it a little squeeze.

"When mama had called me to tell me that Posy had killed herself, needless to say, I was shocked." Vick grabbed onto the podium, his knuckles turning white. "My little sister was always so happy and full of life. And, I know everyone says this, but I just cannot believe that she killed herself. It doesn't make any sense."

Gale's hands started to shake. Chasity tensed up. He wasn't going to last through this, she knew.

"Either way, I can't hide the fact that my baby sister is dead. And neither can you. So, let's all remember Posy the way that she was. A cute, happy girl-"  
"GOD!"  
Chasity's head snapped up at the shout. Gale had gotten up from his seat and, despite Velvet's quiet protests, walked up to the front.  
"Gale? What are you-" Vick blinked, confused. Gale grabbed his shoulders, shaking him hard.  
"Don't you see, Vick?! This is all Snow's doing!"  
"What the hell are you talking about? Snow's been dead for years."  
Gale let go of his brother and started looking around the room, almost surprised to see everyone there.

Chasity gripped Everly's hand tighter.

Velvet slowly got up from her seat. "Do you know where you are, Gale?" The room had fallen into a tense silence. Chasity's voice caught in her throat as her father turned around. He was looking at her mother, but there was no recognition in his eyes.  
"How do you know my name?"  
Velvet froze. Gale had never slipped this far before. Vick walked up and placed his hand on Gale's shoulder. He jumped.  
"She knows your name because she's your wife."  
Gale shook his head.  
"No, I'm not married." He turned to Vick. "Katniss just got engaged to Peeta, not me." Gale let out a laugh. "Where is your mind right now?" No one said anything as he looked around the room.

Everly sucked in a breath that snapped Chasity's mind to her. She was gripping her hand too hard. Loosening her grip, she stared at her father, not knowing what to do.

"Gale," Vick said, grabbing his shoulders. "Posy is dead." Turning around, Gale looked at the open casket. Instantly, he tensed up.  
"No, I just saw-"  
Velvet ran up and grabbed his arm. Without a word, she pulled him towards the exit, muttering under her breath the entire time. Chasity knew what she was saying. She'd heard it so much within the last month, that she could say it in her sleep.  
Closing her eyes, Chasity took a deep breath, repeating in her head the words that she knew her mother was saying.

"Your name is Jonathan Gale Hawthorne. You're forty-three years old. You live in District Four. You have three children. Chasity, Emerson and Gloriana. I'm your wife, Velvet. I love you. You're safe here. We're all safe."


	11. Chapter 11

Have you ever felt like half of you was missing?  
That part of your being, just got up and left one day, leaving an empty hallow in your heart?  
Ok, that was maybe being a little bit dramatic, but Chasity still hurt none the less.  
She had tried for so long to deny the feelings that she had for Drew, knowing that the admittance of those feelings would only complicate and potentially destroy the relationship that they had spent years building up. It took Drew ignoring her phone calls and texts for all of that denial to shatter into a thousand pieces.  
She couldn't handle it any more. She needed her best friend back.

Ever since they had gotten back from the funeral the day before, Gale had locked himself down in their basement, refusing to come upstairs while the kids were awake. Chasity had come down to the kitchen late one night and happened to catch her parents talking. When Gale saw her, he quickly blushed and looked away, a look of shame on his face.  
He hated what he was becoming just as much as they were.

"Chas, is something wrong?" Glory asked, causing Chasity to come out of her thoughts. It was Saturday and normally she'd be hanging out with Everly, Charles and Drew. She sat up on the couch and met her sisters curious gaze. "I'm fine, Glory. Just…processing some stuff." Emerson scoffed from across the room. "She's just pissed because her boyfriend yelled at her or something." Chasity glared at him. "Drew is not my boyfriend!" Emerson smirked and peeked his eyes around his laptop. "I never said anything about Drew, now did I?" Chasity held her gaze. "You added that part yourself." Just as Chasity started to get up, Glory grabbed her arm. "Look, I can help."

Chasity was sure she could. Glory was one of the popular girls at their school. She was constantly texting her friends and having "problems" with them. It got annoying.

"It's just….yes, I did have a fight with Drew the other day. I said some stupid things and he got upset. I don't blame him, though. I should have kept my mouth shut." Glory locked her phone and turned in her chair to face Chasity, her gray eyes shining. "Have you tried apologizing?" Chasity ran her hands through her hair. "Yeah, multiple times." Glory shrugged. "Then Drew's just being stubborn. Leave him alone and wait for him to come crawling back to you." That made almost made her laugh. Drew would never come crawling back to her. Or to anyone, for that matter.

"If you ask me," Emerson looked up from his laptop. "Drew's waiting for you to talk to him in person. That way, he knows you're genuinely sorry. He'll want to explain his side as well." Chasity slumped in the armchair. "But I've been trying to get in touch with him for the past week and a half. Won't it be over-kill if I show up on his doorstep spilling out an apology?" Emerson shrugged. "It's worth a shot, Chas." She sighed, knowing he was right.

Why was it so hard for her to apologize? Was it genetics, or was she just a bitch? Either way, Chasity knew she'd have to suck it up and go talk to Drew. She couldn't deal with him being upset with her. It wasn't like them to not talk. It didn't feel right.

Chasity pulled Everly out into the hallway. "Ev," she whispered harshly, "What were you thinking? I don't need this right now!" Everly blinked.

Chasity had gotten a text from her earlier, saying how she needed to come over because Everly had a surprise for her. When Chasity arrived, she saw that the surprise was in fact Drew. Sitting in Everly's room. Waiting for her.

"I thought you wanted to make things right with Drew. You were practically crying on the phone with me last night." She meant so well sometimes, she really did. Chasity pinched her temple. "I do, but not the day after my Aunt's funeral! At which, if you don't remember, my dad had a psychotic breakdown in front of a church full of people." Everly raised her hands. "Alright, I screwed up. But Drew's here so you might as well talk to him." Everly took hold of Chasity's arm and before she could wriggle free, shoved her into her room. "I'm not letting you out until you two get this fixed!" Chasity jumped as Everly slammed her door. She could be so stubborn sometimes.  
Feeling Drew's eyes on the back of her head, Chasity turned around and smiled awkwardly at him. "Uh, hey." Drew was sitting on Everly's window seat. Chasity's eyes drifted from his gaze down to his hands that were draped over his knees. "Hey."  
Even though bright sunlight poured over him from the window, Drew looked…not himself. There was a slouch in his shoulders that didn't used to be there. Dark bags seemed to hang under his green eyes as well, which had lost their sparkle. When he turned his head up, there was also bruising that was clearly visible on his jaw line, although it looked like he had tried to use make-up to cover the purpling spot.  
"I know I look like crap but you don't need to stare, Chas." Drew sighed and she met his eyes again. She knew not to ask about the bruise. It was something that no one mentioned, although she knew where they came from. Her throat got tight and she cleared it away before speaking. "Sorry." Drew cut his eyes away. "For more than just the staring." Chasity added quickly. She felt heat flush to her cheeks as Drew slowly slid his eyes to her. "I shouldn't have insulted your father like that," She went on. "It wasn't right. I can't keep my damn mouth quiet sometimes. So, I'm sorry."  
Chasity held her breath as Drew stared evenly at her. She couldn't tell if he was mad at her, or just thinking up a response. Either way, it was driving her insane. She was about to say something when Drew cleared his throat and stood up.  
"Let's take a walk. I want to tell you something."

Even though District Four was a fishing community, there were many street and buildings in the center of town. That's where Drew had lead Chasity in silence. They now enjoyed the smell of the bakery and the restaurants that lined the street.  
"I never told you about the boyfriend my mom had when I was twelve until I was fourteen," Drew shoved his hands in his pockets. "His name was Michael. He was employed by the Capitol at the time of the Rebellion and even worked under President Snow, I think. I'm not sure how my mom ended up with the guy." Chasity stayed silent as Drew took a deep breath before continuing.  
"Even though this guy was only in my life for two years, he did a hell of a job as acting 'head of our house.' I'm not sure why this guy had it out for me, but he hated me, Chas." Drew looked at her sideways She saw him suppress a shudder.  
"Apparently, he had this fascination with tracker jacker venom. You know, like they taught us in history class."

Chasity remembered all too well the videos and books they were shown. The descriptions they gave of the venoms effects left your skin crawling. Esp the video of Peeta Mellark's own downward spiral. It was recovered after the Rebellion and preserved for future lessons. That was the hardest to watch.

"Well, one day, Michael decided he wanted to try a little experiment with some venom. So, he shot me up, giving me just enough to not kill me. He wanted to see if he could twist my memories like Snow had done to Peeta during the Rebellion." Chasity's eyes widened and Drew rubbed the back of his neck.  
"He would spend days, beating me. And claiming the whole time to be my father. He would shout out things about my father and I believed him, because of the venom. It was hell." Chasity reached out and grabbed his arm, surprised by the tension in his muscles. "You don't have to tell me anymore." Drew shook his head.  
"My point of all this is, the image I had of my father began to shift and I got to the point that I wasn't sure what was true and what stuff my brain had made up." He reached out and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers in hers. "That's why whenever you said what you did about my dad, I started to freak out. Any mention of him now just brings back everything that happened in those two years that my mom dated Michael." Drew looked down at her, his sea-green eyes dark. "The reason I got so passionate about defending him is because I don't know what's real anymore. So, I'm really just reassuring myself as much as I am you." Chasity's face flushed again as Drew ran a hand through her hair. "So, your apology is accepted and I guess I'm sorry too. For avoiding you this last week, that is. It's taken me awhile to get back on track." He flicked his eyes away. "Plus, my moms been having a bad week, so that hasn't helped."  
Chasity's mind spun. She had known Drew during that time, and she never noticed anything different with him. How? Was she that bad at reading people, or did he just hide it really well? She squeezed his hand and he locked on her gaze again.  
"It's ok," she whispered. Standing on her toes, she reached up and kissed Drew's jaw, right on the bruise. His eyes widened with surprise as she smiled at him. "You made it out. That's all that matters."  
Drew smiled sadly. "I guess so."

After they had walked around town for a few hours, Drew walked Chasity home, knowing it was going to be dark soon. Drew rubbed the back of is neck as they reached her porch. "So, um, I've been wanting to ask you something." He said. Chasity smiled at his nervousness. "What is it?"  
Drew reached out and ran his hand over her hair, letting it flow through his fingers. "Will you go on a date with me?" Instantly, heat flushed her face and she laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess." Drew mocked hurt. "You GUESS? Well, I didn't realize that I was that unfavorable to you." Chasity reached out and shoved his shoulder. "You knew what I meant." He smirked. "Will tomorrow work?" "Sure will," she replied.  
Drew nodded and headed down the steps. "Night, Chas." She smiled and crossed her arms. "Night."  
She saw him turn to walk down the sidewalk, almost wishing he had kissed her goodnight. But, that was a little silly considering they weren't even dating yet. As she turned back to her door, she heard Drew say something.  
"No, wait." She turned back around in time to see him running back up to her. Before she could ask what he was doing, Drew laid a hand gently on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. She could feel herself blush as he pulled away. Without another word, Drew turned and went home, leaving her standing on the porch with the stupidest of grins on her face.


	12. Chapter 12

"So," Everly mused. Chasity looked up from her laptop. "So…what?" Everly grinned and scooted closer. "SO…tell me what's up with you and Drew." Chasity's eyes widened slightly. "There's, uh, nothing to tell."

Her and Drew had been careful not to flirt around their friends for the past few months. They didn't want anyone talking about them if they themselves weren't sure where they were going in their relationship.  
Granted, they had planned a date for later that evening, but Chasity still wasn't ready to talk about it, just incase something happened.

"Oh come on, Chas. I see the way that you two look at each other." Color rushed to Chasity's face. "There's obviously something going on." Every always had been nosy; a trait that drove Chasity insane. Shutting her laptop, Chasity stood up and walked over to her window, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing.  
"Ev. There's nothing going on." Everly scoffed from the bed. "I'd tell you if there was." Chasity turned around. "Believe me." Everly stared at her, trying to read her face. Chasity didn't have a good poker face, so she was sure she was going to get caught. After a few seconds, though, Everly just shrugged and picked up a magazine, flipping through it. "Whatever you say."

Striding back over to the bed, Chasity grabbed a pillow and sat down next to her friend. She wanted to get some advice from Everly about her and Drew's date later, but wanted to do it in a way that she didn't have to reveal that there even WAS a date planned. This should be interesting.

Chasity cleared her throat and Everly looked up from the magazine. "So, what was it like when you and Charles went on your first date together?" Every raised an eye brow questioningly. "I'm just curious." Everly held her gaze for a moment, looking like she'd asked a strange question, but put down the magazine none the less. She turned around and faced her, legs crossed. "What exactly do you mean?" Chasity shifted and hugged her pillow. "Like, was it weird because you two were friends before? And what did you expect from it?" She flicked her eyes across the room. "That sort of stuff." When she put her eyes back to Everly, she was grinning slyly. She brushed her hair behind her ear and took a minute before starting.  
"I don't really know why you're asking, but whatever." Everly's grey eyes glittered. "I don't know about Charles, but it was never weird for me. I don't think being friends before had anything influence on anything. Granted, if I went out with Drew, then it WOULD be weird." Chasity scolded herself for grinning at the sound of his name. "But, with me and Charles, it just seemed right. I don't know how to explain it, really. And as far as expectations, I didn't have any. It just felt like I was going to hang out with my best friend, you know?" Everly smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear again; something she did whenever she got bashful. Chasity couldn't help but feel happy. If it was that easy for them, then it should be easy for her and Drew.  
"But, why did you want to know again? You never usually want to talk about girly stuff like that." Chasity met Everly's gaze above her pillow.  
"Don't know," she shrugged. "Just curious." Everly picked up her magazine and laughed. "Sure, Chas, whatever." Smiling, Chasity opened her laptop again and Everly started showing her clothes that she wanted. They could spend hours doing that, and probably would have if Glory hadn't walked in.  
"Chasity, is this the dress you wanted?" Glory held up a soft-colored summer dress. "I wasn't sure if this was good enough for your date or not." Everly turned and stared at Chasity, mouth open.  
"Yes Glory, that's goo-"  
"Chas!" Everly interrupted happily. She swung her magazine and smacked Chasity over the head with it. "I KNEW there was something between you and Drew!"

"This dress IS really cute on you!" Glory said as she pinned Chasity's hair back. "You should borrow it more often." Chasity smirked and looked at her younger sister. "Thanks, Glory."  
"No problem."

~~~~~

Drew's heart skipped a beat when he saw Chasity walk up. She looked gorgeous. He felt heat rise to his cheeks and prayed that it wasn't noticeable. He didn't want to look like an idiot on their first date.  
The sounds of District Four hummed around them. They had agreed to meet up in the center of town at a small park. It was halfway for each of them.  
"Hey," Drew said as Chasity came to stand in front of him. She flashed a bright smile. "Hey!" A small smile crept across Drew's face as well; he couldn't help it. "So, um, you wanna go to the movie now?" Chasity laughed and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

As they walked away, Drew hesitantly reached out and grabbed Chasity's hand and let out a small breath when she laced her fingers with his. This was going to be a good night, it was silly of him to be nervous.  
This was Chasity. It was obviously going to be fine.

~~~~

The waves were lapping along the edge of the pier, causing Chasity's mind to relax. Her and Drew had just gotten out of their movie. Taking a breath of salty air, she leaned on the rail and gazed out at the deepening sunset.  
"Chasity?" Drew asked, walking towards her. She turned, expecting him to be beside her. They locked eyes as Drew stepped closer, the wind blowing his auburn hair across his face. She grinned at the sight of his obscured freckles.

~~~~

Drew stopped in front of Chasity, raising a hand to her cheek. Instantly, she blushed, not used to the physical contact. Seeing this, he quickly removes his hand and averts his eyes, thinking he upset her. "Sorry." He mumbled, turning his eyes to the ground. Chasity reached for his hand, wanting his touch. Placing it back on her face, they locked eyes again. "Don't be."

A silence formed between them as they stared at each other. Neither one really knew what to say. So many emotions coursed between them, that it took a few minutes before they could be sorted and turned into words. Drew spoke first.

"I really like you." He whispered, staring down at Chasity's deep blue eyes. She smiled slightly. "I really like you too." Drew rubbed his thumb along her cheek, willing his heart to slow down. Chasity closed her eyes and sighed, visibly relaxed. That's good, he thought. She feels comfortable. Drew slowly raised his other hand to cup her face, praying she accepted it. Chasity hitched her breath slightly. But when her eyes fluttered open, she didn't reject him. Instead, she reached up and placed her hands on his chest. Drew closed his eyes for a second. This couldn't be happening, he thought. This was too good to be true. He opened his eyes and sucked in a silent breath. Did he even dare ask?  
"Can-Can I kiss you?"

~~~~

Chasity's eyes flew up to Drew's, caught off guard by his request. Sure, she wanted to kiss him, but she wasn't convinced he was serious. His sea green eyes, however, held an expression that was so genuinely sincere, that she couldn't help but feel secure. "You don't have to ask." She whispered, running her fingers gently along Drew's shirt. He smirked.

~~~~

Drew leaned down to reach Chasity, softly kissing her lips as he did. Her mouth fit perfectly with his and it just felt…right. Even though he had never kissed another girl before, he knew this was different than usual. He felt the fireworks go off inside his chest, further proof that this wasn't typical.  
After what felt like an eternity, Drew reluctantly broke his lips away from Chasity's. His face was mere inches away from hers and he could tell that he wasn't the only one who felt his heart had just exploded.

~~~~

Silently, Chasity brought her arms up around Drew's neck. As he brought his forehead down to her, she closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of Drew's hands as he rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks. Breathing in Drew's cologne, her mind emptied of any care or concern she had held on to just moments ago. She felt extremely safe, like nothing could ever hurt her again. She took a deep breath.  
"Don't leave me, Andrew."

~~~~

Now why would he do a thing like that? That would be like death. "I never will." He whispered. Chasity's mouth twitched as Drew leaned in and gently kissed each of her closed eyelids, hoping to reassure her. His mind was still spinning from the thought of her calling him by his full name. He wasn't used to it. For a second, he released her face and she wasted no time embracing him.

They held each other tight, clinging like their lives depended on it. Maybe they did, in a way.  
Who else would be there for them when they felt like their worlds were falling apart? They knew each other better than they knew themselves, which was comforting. They never had to pretend around each other.  
That, is the real pleasure.  
Being able to open yourself up to someone and have them truly accept and love you the way that you are.  
They had that with each other. And no one was going to take that away from them.  
Ever.


	13. Chapter 13

Why did that little brat get to be happy? Chasity had no idea what her father had done. How he'd effected people. Her own life had been ruined by him. Granted, it was by something that Gale couldn't control, but that was besides the point. Chasity didn't know how bad it could get.

It was always awful to see a parent slip away from reality before your eyes. She should know. Her own mother went insane at the death of her father. She may not have had physical outbursts, but she definitely wasn't a fit mother for weeks on end. She slipped away and left her two daughters to fed for themselves. She resented her mother for that…always had.

"Dear, I think we've got a problem." Eric turned to his wife. She let out an exasperated sigh. She didn't need this.  
"What is it?"  
"Chasity seems to have hooked herself a boyfriend."  
Great. Just great. "Of course she would make this more difficult for us." She sat up and rubbed her face. "Now if we want her, we have to get through this kid. Awesome."  
Eric walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It might not be too bad. Maybe they'll break up."  
Taking her face out of her hands, she looked up at him. Always the optimistic one. She sighed. "Yeah, maybe. Either way, I don't have the energy to deal with it tonight. I think the migraine that I had the other day is trying to come back." She felt Eric leave a kiss on her temple, enjoying his touch. He was good with affection, she was not.  
"Yeah, don't worry about it tonight, I just wanted to inform you." He walked out of the room, but not before calling over his shoulder. "You're radiant, babe. Always remember that."  
She couldn't help the smile that had crept onto her face. She loved it when he called her radiant.


	14. Chapter 14

-I'll be right over. Get the popcorn ready. ;)-  
Chasity smiled at the text. For the past month, her and Drew had been having movie nights at her house every Friday. It was so much easier now that she had told her parents they were dating. They could hang out together without question. Seeing her mom leave, she ran to the kitchen to go make the popcorn.

The sun was hot on her head, but she didn't want to quit. They had to make sure the Hawthornes house was completely empty. Minus Chasity of course. They needed her alone.  
She raised up her binoculars and a smile spread across her face as she saw Velvet leave. "Perfect," she whispered to herself. Just as she was putting the binoculars away, she saw a car drive down the street. She watched it slow down and pull into the Hawthornes driveway. Crap. Picking up the binoculars, she saw a teenage boy get out and almost fainted. Is that who she thought it was? No, it couldn't be. He'd been dead for years. She had to hold it together. She couldn't freak out.

"Shit," she mumbled, closing her eyes. Her mind started to fog up, like it did every time she got confused.  
"What?" Eric asked, putting down his binoculars.  
Her hands started to shake. Throwing off her gloves, she fingered the twine that had been tied around her wrist for years. It had been a present. From him.  
"I know who that kid is." Eric spun around and stared at her, confused.  
"How? You're never around when I see him."  
"He's the son of someone I used to know." She undid the bracelet and started tying knots into it. "Someone I watched die."  
"What are you talking about?"  
She took a deep breath. The knots were helping her focus, bringing her back to reality.

This task just got much harder. If they wanted to get to Chasity, they'd have to go through this kid. Her BOYFRIEND. She didn't want it to come to that. It would be like killing Finnick all over again. The guilt of his death had never left her. The image of his body being blown up was a frequent occurrence in her nightmares. It had haunted her all these years. Suffocating her.

"I'm talking about someone long before I met you. Someone I met when I was still a teenager, in the Games." She tied the twine back around her wrist and slipped her gloves on. "And that's all you need to know."

Just as the popcorn beeped, Chasity heard her door open. Without turning around she knew that it was Drew.  
"Hey, babe!" He called out. She smiled and grabbed a bowl from under the counter.  
"I'm in the kitchen!"  
As Drew walked in, she smelled his cologne. He was never not wearing it. She felt his strong arms wrap around her waist and she realized why she loved his cologne so much. It was the scent that she had been associating with safety.  
"So, what movie do you have picked out for today?" Drew asked, his lips brushing against her ear. She smiled and grabbed the bowl.  
"I hadn't decided yet. I think it's your turn to pick."  
Drew released her and they headed towards the living room. "No, I'm almost for sure it's your turn," he said. "We watched Transformers last time, remember?" Chasity put the popcorn on the table and walked over to the tv.  
"Oh yeah, that's right. Ok, I'll find one." She bent down and started looking at the dvd's, trying to find her favorite. "Oh, crap!" She turned around. Drew raised his eye brow. "I forgot to get the mail after my mom left." Hopping up from the couch, Drew grabbed a handful of popcorn.  
"I got it." He tossed up a kernel and caught it mid-air. "You pick out the movie."  
Chasity smiled as he left. "Thanks!" Turning back to the cabinet, her eyes caught one of the dvd's "Ooo! The newest Star Trek. Yes."

Eric cleared his throat and put away his binoculars. "Alright. So, what do we do?"  
She ran her hands through her loose hair, trying to keep calm. "I-I guess we gotta kill him." Her husband looked at her confused. "Well, it'll be harder to kidnap Chasity if he's there too!" She reached down and tore through her bag, looking for a weapon.  
"I guess that makes sense," Eric said, putting away his binoculars.  
Feeling a blade, she pulled it out of the bag and handed it to Eric. "Here, you go kill him."  
"Why me?"  
"Because-" She sounded like such a baby. "I just can't, ok? I'll have a panic attack with the kid, I'm sorry."  
Eric didn't look confident, but nodded anyway. He always seemed to do what she asked of him without question. She wasn't sure why, but she liked it.  
Movement caught her attention and she snapped her head around. "Now," she hissed. "The kids going outside. Go kill him." Eric just stared at her. "Go!" He snapped out of his trance and stood up, racing for the yard.  
Sometimes, she swore. He was the dumbest person ever.

What was taking Drew so long? It should have only taken a minute to run outside and get the mail. Frustrated, Chasity got up and walked over to the window. She rolled her eyes. Drew had stopped to talk with Everly's dad. Of course. Those two had always gotten along well because of the mutual love of sports. She dropped the curtains and walked outside. Drew would be out there a while, the least she could do was talk too.

Velvet cursed herself for forgetting her cell phone. You would think with how important it was for her job that she wouldn't forget it. Oh well.  
Pulling onto her street, she noticed Drew and Chasity outside. She hadn't been too thrilled about Chasity dating already, but Drew was a nice kid, so the idea was growing on her. As she got closer, though, she saw that they were talking with someone. Probably a neighbor. Pulling into the driveway, she left the car running and hopped out, hoping to get back to work quickly.  
"Mom! What did you forget?" Chasity called out. Velvet turned to look at her daughter and her blood ran cold.  
The man she was talking with.  
No, he couldn't be here. Not in District Four.  
Eric.  
All Velvet could do was scream.

Chasity jumped as her mom screamed. What had happened? Before she could ask what happened, Mr. Kyle reached out and grabbed Drew from behind. Chasity heard her mom run over to her, but Mr. Kyle had easily over taken Drew and now held a knife to his throat.  
Velvet ran up and stopped beside Chasity. "Eric! What the hell are you doing?" Chasity's head snapped to the side. Where had she heard that name before?  
"Well beautiful, this was supposed to be quick, but you and your daughter had to run outside and ruin it." Mr. Kyle said. Chasity saw her mother start to shake. Tears started welling up in her eyes as she clenched her fists.  
"DON'T call me beautiful, Eric!"  
"But that's what you are." Mr. Kyle winked and the tears fell over Velvets cheeks.

How did her mom know Everly's dad? And why did she keep calling him Eric? Chasity turned her eyes back to Drew and saw him grabbing onto Mr. Kyle's arm.

"You know," Mr. Kyle said. "You look just like your mother, Chasity. You got nothing from me…a shame, really."  
Chasity's eyes widened and flicked them up to his. Her stomach turned as she remembered where she'd heard his name before. "Eric? Like my biological FATHER, Eric?" He grinned devilishly.  
"Yepp, sweetheart, it's really me."  
Drew made a choking noise and Mr. Kyle raised his eye brows, almost forgetting he was there. "Ah yes, and this guy. Your boyfriend. You know, if he hadn't gotten in the way, I wouldn't have to kill him."

Chasity's mind locked up. He was really about to kill Drew. Her boyfriend. No. That couldn't happen. Nothing was ever supposed to happen to him. He'd been through enough hell as a child. And now Everly's dad, who was apparently HER dad, was going to kill him right before her? She wouldn't let that happen.

Without feeling her own body, Chasity yelled and lunged at Drew. Mr. Kyle was distracted for a second which gave Drew a change to shift. When he did, Mr. Kyle jabbed his knife out and made contact with whatever flesh he could. Before Drew even hit the ground, Mr. Kyle had turned and darted away like a coward.  
Velvet started to run after him, but stopped once she heard Chasity scream. Chasity hadn't even heard herself make the noise; all the adrenaline in her was making her hyper focus on Drew. Kneeling on the grass, he was clutching his stomach, red staining the front of his shirt.  
"Oh, god." Velvet whispered as Chasity knelt down in front of him. "This is just like Gale…" Her mom cried as she ran inside.  
"Drew, babe?" Chasity asked, reaching out to cup his face. Her heart squeezed when she saw his eyes; distant and unfocused. No. He was actually dying. Tears welled up in her eyes as she pushed auburn hair out of his face. "Andrew," she whispered. She couldn't lose him. Not now. Not after they had finally started dating. He was her best friend. She trusted him with so much and now he was leaving her? No, this wasn't happening.  
Drew winced in pain and focused his eyes briefly. "Chas," he whispered, his voice dry. He looked so confused. Despite her willing them not to, tears fell down her cheeks. Drew reached up and wiped one away, leaving some blood on her face.  
Was this the last moment they would ever spend together? With every passing second it was looking that way. Chasity ran her hands over Drew's face. He winced again and reach a hand on to grab her arm. He opened his mouth to say something, but Chasity didn't let him. She pressed her lips to his hard, willing him to stay alive. She couldn't deal without him. Surprisingly, she felt Drew kiss her back and for a second it seemed like everything was fine. The smell of blood filled her nose again and she moved her mouth with his, not wanting to stop kissing him. If she stopped, then he could die. No, she wouldn't let him die. It wasn't until Drew whimpered that she let him go. She was surprised to see tears running down his cheeks. When had he started crying? Drew took a ragged breath and opened his eyes, his pupils huge and black.  
"Chasity, I'm sorry."  
Still cupping his face, she rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks. "No, stop." Drew nodded and looked away for a second. Chasity heard her mom run out, saying something about the police coming. Chasity knew it wouldn't matter, though. As Drew turned back to her, his eyes looked like the light was draining out of them.  
"Andrew, no!" She cried as his grip on her arm loosened.  
"Chas, I-" Drew never finished his sentence. An ambulance pulled up and EMT's rushed on to the yard. Drew slumped down to the ground and Chasity lost it.  
She just sat there and cried. Cried harder than she ever had. She felt her mother come over and hug her tight, trying to encourage her to ride with Drew to the hospital. She couldn't do it. Seeing him with all those wires and tubes hooked up to him made her stomach knot. No. She wanted to drive up there on her own. After the EMT's got Drew loaded up into the ambulance, Chasity got into their car with her mom and they drove to the hospital, all the way Chasity praying she wouldn't lose her boyfriend.


	15. Chapter 15

15) Darkness filled the space. Drew couldn't make sense of anything. He tried to move his arms, blink, cough, do SOMETHING, but everything hurt. Not just soreness but sharp pain that radiated from his abdomen. Confusion swept through him as he heard noises that he couldn't identify. Some where very far off there was a high pitched beeping and a siren. A voice drifted in and out of his consciousness.

"I'm not sure if we'll be able to save this one…not this time."

Save what? Drew's mind was so muddied that he could barely keep his own thoughts straight, much less worry about others.  
The beeps in the distance got faster and Drew felt more pain. A weird fog slipped over his mind as he heard more people talking, their voices all blending together.

"Come on, hand me that pump!"  
"Damn, this traffic is awful. If we don't get to the hospital faster…"  
"Shut up and help me, ok! This kid is going fast."  
"I don't wanna lose another one today, I really don't."  
"Kid, if you have any strength left, pull through?"

Just as Drew felt himself slip further into darkness, a horrible realization came over him.  
Those voices were talking about him.  
He didn't have time to fear for his death before he fully slipped into the fog.

~~~~

Chasity buried her face in her shirt collar, taking a deep breath of the faint scent left being by Drew's cologne. It was her only weight to the world. Her only reason to keep calm.  
"Baby, I am so sorry." Her mother cooed as she brushed the hair out of her face, something that had brought her comfort ever since she was small.  
She nodded in response. That was all she could do. She knew that if she tried to speak, she'd lose all of her calm appearance.

It worried her how long the doctors were taking. They'd been waiting in the hospital's dim hallway for two hours now and Chasity felt like she was going to explode.  
Was Drew even going to live? The EMT's didn't seem so confident when they had picked him up at her house.

All Chasity knew was that if Drew died, she wasn't sure how she'd keep her sanity intact.

~~~~

Cold air came over Drew and he shivered in the darkness. He felt something pull at his mind, like he was trying to wake up. Relief washed over him as he recognized where he was.  
His room.  
He was just beginning to think the events of the past day had been a dream when he looked over at his bed. Confusion clouded his mind.  
He saw himself in bed, asleep.  
He couldn't have been more than six years old, which was before his mother had channeled her psychotic behavior into beatings. As Drew stared at his own sleeping form, he jumped as his mother walked into the room, ignoring him. Annie stepped silently across the carpet, careful not to wake her sleeping son. Drew saw himself stir in his sleep as his mother knelt next to his bed.  
"I'm sorry you never met your father," Annie whispered, pulling the covers up over him. Tears stung Drew's eyes. It hurt to see his mother this loving and this lucid. Where was this mother around when he was growing up? When she was beating him? He almost turned away and walked out of the room, but Annie's voice stopped him.  
"Andrew, can you hear me?" Drew's heart stopped. His mother was looking straight at him. He couldn't answer because his throat had locked up. "Andrew?" This time her voice had shifted, warbled.  
It didn't make any sense. Drew wasn't dead…..was he? This was his room, and was obviously a memory. Wait. It couldn't have been a memory if he was asleep. Then how-  
"Can you hear me, Andrew? Are you awake?" This time, his mother's voice was as deep as a mans. Before Drew could respond, he felt the world tumble around him and a dizzy darkness take over him once more.

~~~~

Chasity gasped softly as a thought crossed her mind. No, not really a thought, more like a feeling. It was tugging at her subconscious and wouldn't let go.  
She couldn't explain it, but it felt like a part of her was hurting. An emotional part…and not the same part that had been crying for the past two hours.  
A tear slipped down her cheek as her mind went to Drew. She was so afraid for him, but had no one to go to, no one who would understand her pain.

~~~~

"Andrew?" The male voice asked, poking into Drew's thoughts. He felt the light before he saw it. The darkness that had enveloped him before was now fading. Light tugged at the back of his eye lids and Drew opened them, immediately regretting his decision. There was a flashlight shining at him.  
"Ah, good. You're back." The voice spoke again. With a clock, the light disappeared and Drew blinked a few times, trying to rid himself of the spots. As the world came into focus, the first thing that caught his eye was the man standing next to him. He was wearing a white lab coat and thick black glasses. A smile stretched across his face as Drew cleared his throat.  
"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked. Drew tried to take a deep breath, but winced. "Yeah, you're going to have to take it easy for a while. Stab wounds never heal easily."  
Stab wounds? Drew looked confused as the doctor scribble notes on his clipboard. He had been stabbed? Why couldn't he remember that?  
"Alright, your vitals look good." Mr. Doctor spoke up. "Can you tell me your full name?"  
"Andrew Finnick Odair."  
"Good." More scribbling. "Eye color?"  
"Green."  
"Well, your memory seems good. Do you remember the accident?"  
Drew shook his head.  
"Ah. Well, you will soon. Sometimes the brain blocks out painful memories while it's still in shock, to give time for the person to recover before they start to remember."  
Drew nodded like he understood.  
"Get some rest now. You have a visitor and I promised her she could see you after you've had some time to adjust."  
Chasity.  
Drew reached up his hand and grabbed the doctors arm. "No, I'm fine. I want to see her."  
The doctor smiled at him. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to. You need to rest…If your stitches popped out, it wouldn't be good at all."  
Defeated, Drew sighed and laid back down on the bed.  
He knew Chasity and knew she'd be worried sick about him. All he wanted to do was tell her that he was alright.  
As he moved to get up, another stab of pain and of dizziness swept over him. Damn it, the doctor must have given him meds before he left. Frustrated, Drew closed his eyes and slipped into a deep sleep, wishing he was somewhere else.


	16. Chapter 16

Fog. A constant tug of sedation hung around him, making it hard for his thoughts to clear. What had happened? He kept dreaming the same thing over and over. Everly's dad charging at him with a knife. But that didn't make sense. Not in the slightest. Drew had been friends with Everly since they were young enough to crawl. Her dad wouldn't do something like that. I must just be the medication messing with his brain. Medication. That's right, he was in the hospital. But why? Drew fought the sedation, trying to gain some clarity. Slowly, ever so slowly, he came up to the surface.  
Without opening his eyes, Drew could hear a monitor beeping quietly in rhythm somewhere near him. He could feel the roughness of the sheets. Hearing a soft crying sound caused him to stir slightly. Who was crying? And why? The moment she let out a quiet sob and grabbed his hand, he knew. Chasity. Slowly, he opened his eyes. It took a few second for his world to come into focus. When it did, his heart dropped. Chasity's eyes were closed, tears flowing hard down her face. Drew wanted to reach up and wipe them away, but the medication made his muscles feel like they were a thousand pounds. He was only able to clear his throat, which made her jump.  
"Drew," Chasity breathed. She didn't smile.  
"What?" His voice was raspy. "Not happy to see me?"  
Chasity drew a shaky breath, not loosening her iron grip on his hand. "I am. It's just that the doctors, they didn't-" Her voice caught and she shut it quickly, fresh tears falling on her face.  
"Did they not think I was going to live?" He asked, trying to sit up. His stomach ached. Chasity just shook her head and laced her fingers with his. Drew's mind was spinning. Did his dreams actually happen? If so, why? How badly had he been hurt? His thoughts stopped short as he remembered something.  
"Chas?" She looked up. "You're not making sense. I talked with a doctor yesterday and he said I was going to be fine." Her gaze turned hard as she studied his face.  
"What are you talking about, Drew?"  
"Yesterday. My doctor came into my room as I was waking up. He talked to me about resting and stuff. I think he said you were wanting to see me, but I fell back asleep before I could see you." Drew's heart skipped as he saw Chasity's expression. Something wasn't right.  
Slowly, she shook her head. Moving onto the bed next to him, she reached up and brushed some hair from his forehead. "For one thing, your doctor is a woman." She turned her dark blue eyes to his. "And second, she hasn't been able to wake you up for days." Drew's mouth went dry. "You've been in a coma for a week."

"So you did it?" She asked, crossing the room to her husband. Eric had walked through the door, a somber look on his face.  
"Yeah, I stabbed him. Like you wanted."  
She wasn't sure exactly why that filled her with glee.  
"But Katniss," he said, "I still don't understand why I had to do it." Eric looked down at the floor. "You know I liked the kid."  
Anger flushed behind her eyes. He was so weak! Constantly, he was trying to pick apart her plans. Why couldn't he just follow along? It would be so much simpler.  
"I've already told you. I'M going to kill Gale, you get the others that become a problem." He looked at her questioningly. "Then you can get the brat and tell her all about how you still love her, even though her mommy's a real bitch," she added with an eye roll. This seemed to make Eric brighten up a bit. Fine. Whatever kept him happy and on her side. All the wanted was Gale. She had to get to Gale. Whatever it took.

"What?" That was the only question Drew could ask. It was so predictable, but his mind was muddied so eh wasn't thinking straight.  
"I'm sorry," Chasity whispered. She ran her thumb over his lips. Why was she sorry? It wasn't her fault he was here. None of this was making sense to him. He was going to go insane unless he got answers. She must have seen the questions in his eyes because she took a deep breath. "it's my fault that you got stabbed." That explained the pain in his stomach. "And it's my fault because it was my dad who stabbed you." Before Drew could ask what she meant, Chasity went on to tell him everything her mother had told her about her biological father. Some parts of the story he had heard before, some he had not. When she finished, cleared his throat.  
"So you and Everly are half-siblings?"  
Chasity nodded.  
"Wow. I did not see that coming." He expected to see Chasity smile, or at least have a different expression on her face. But it didn't change from the deep sadness she'd been wearing since he first woke up. "Babe, come on," he said as he pulled her closer. "I'm fine now." He kissed her. "Please stop being sad."  
Chasity let go of his hand and grabbed onto his face, looking at him longingly. "Its just that for the past week, I had been trying to come to terms with the fact that you weren't going to be waking up." Her voice trembled slightly as she added, "I was terrified."  
Drew embraced her as best he could with the wires and his lead-filled limbs. He couldn't imagine how he'd deal if their situations were reversed. He'd have lost his mental state within the first few days, if the doctors gave Chasity a definite death sentence. As he clung to her shirt, he was reminded of just how much he loved her. But his mother's face also flashed before him. Annie Cresta: mad girl. Would she even have felt bad that he was gone? Yes, he was her son, but he very strongly doubted that there was any emotional connection left between them. He couldn't go a day without her thinking he was Finnick or having some sort of mental breakdown related to his dead father. He clung onto Chasity tighter. He needed his world to make sense, if only for a moment. And she helped it do that.


	17. Chapter 17

"Drew, I just hope you know how sorry I am," Velvet's voice was tight as she paced the small hospital room. Drew smiled slightly, trying not to get annoyed. That was the fifth time she had apologized in the last half hour.  
"It really is alright, Mrs. H. I don't blame you." Velvet looked like she was about to cry as she turned her eyes to him.

Drew couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He hated people fussing over him this much, especially when he had tried everything to make them change the subject. The thought to blame this all on Velvet had honestly never even crossed his mind. How could she have known that hooking up with a guy sixteen years ago would have led to him getting hurt? She couldn't have. But no matter how much he tried to tell her this, she shut him off. Chasity always said that her mother had to work through things on her own and sometimes that it took her longer to do so, but that didn't help him feel any better.

A knock at the door stopped Velvet's pacing. Before she could say anything, Chasity pushed open the door, Glory and Emerson trailing in behind her.  
"Sorry I didn't come sooner." She shut the door. "The twins wanted to come along, but they had homework to finish."

Drew had known Gloriana and Emerson ever since they were in diapers, so they were a lot like little siblings that he looked after. He would often go over the Hawthorne's house and hang out with them and Chasity when their parents were away. It took Emerson a while to get used to the idea of Drew dating his older sister. Often times he would glare at them when they sat close to each other. Drew never took it personally. Perhaps if he had a sister and she started dating, he would feel the same way, too. Glory, on the other hand, never had a problem. She was bubbly from the first moment Chasity had told her, which was made all the more funny by the fact that Chasity didn't like making a big deal out of it. They could hardly be next to each other without getting endearing love-struck looks from Glory.

"How are you feeling?" Emerson asked, awkwardly leaning against the wall. Drew shrugged.  
"Sucky. But I guess I don't have to imagine what it would be like to be in those action movies, huh?" He grinned as Emerson laughed a little. Glory came and gingerly sat at the end of his bed, twisting her hands. Drew lightly kicked her.  
"Buck up, kid. I'm gonna live." But he knew how close he'd come close to seriously dying, so he dropped it quickly.  
Velvet had resumed her pacing as Chasity came to sit in the armchair next to the bed. After what felt like a long, awkward silence, Chasity snapped her head up.  
"Do you think Everly knew this was going to happen?" Speaking softly, Chasity turned her side eyes to his. The fear was evident in them. Drew hadn't wanted to admit it, but the thought that briefly played across his mind as well.  
"No." Drew said flatly. "I don't. I mean, she would have to be a hell of a liar to cover it up the fact that you're really her half-sister all of these years. I think her parents are just really good at keeping things from her."  
Chasity held Drew's gaze for a long time. He could see the gears in her mind turning as she was trying to believe him. He was trying to believe it himself.  
As Chasity nodded slowly, there was a sudden noise from across the room. Someone was fidgeting with the door handle. Emerson moved from his place against the wall to go open it. No sooner did the door unlatch did someone burst into the room. Drew's heart immediately flew up into his throat. He couldn't breathe.  
It was Annie. His mother had come to see him. Joy.

Pushing open the basement door, Gale stepped into his kitchen. At least, he thought it was his kitchen. Ever since he saw Distract Twelve destroyed by that hurricane his mind had turned into torrent after torrent of memories mixed with reality. He never felt like he had his head on straight. Velvet was the only one who could help pull him through to reality. But when she wasn't home, his mind collapsed.  
Gale was grateful that the twins had gone to the hospital with Chasity. He absolutely hated that they had to see him like this. He knew his mind had taken a turn for the crazy when he looked at Glory one day and saw not her in her grey eyes, but Katniss. He spent a full five minutes talking to her about a hunt he thought they had gone on. That was, until Velvet coaxed him back to a reality where Katniss wasn't staring at him and he wasn't at the Seam, but he was at his own kitchen table being stared at in terrified confusion by his fourteen year old daughter. He couldn't even explain how it had happened, so she just ran out of the room, her eyes wide. After that, it became more frequent, happening almost twice a day and almost always leaving his children confused and slightly terrified.  
Walking into the living room, Gale's hand brushed against the couch. Looking down, he saw the note that Chasity had left him still on the side table. She said that they were going to visit Drew and should be home within the next few hours. Velvet never mentioned who it was that had hurt Drew, but Gale had pretty good idea who it was by the way she had acted. Eric. Seizing a pillow from the couch, Gale's hands absently clenched around it, twisting it slowly. He had tried so hard not to think of him. When he did, all of the memories came back to him of the night he himself had gotten stabbed. Slow and fast, all at once. His heart raced as he remembered the look in Velvet's eyes as he bled out. The way that he wanted to tell her how much he loved her but was unable to due to his mind slipping into a blackness that was full of fear and uncertainty. Then he zipped to waking up in the hospital, confused. Gale heard a rip and looked at his hands. The pillow he had been holding was now ripped in half, stuffing falling silently to the floor. He groaned and threw it away. This was too much. He felt like he didn't have any control over himself anymore. And he really didn't. The thought sent his knees to jello and he sank down onto the couch, his eyes stinging from holding onto tears that constantly threatened to spill over.

Everly shot up in bed. Her mother was screaming in her sleep again.  
"Peeta! PEETA!"  
The same every night. It didn't always used to be this bad. Maybe once or twice a week, tops. But now, for some reason Everly didn't understand, her mother was having nightmares almost every night.  
The first two or three times it happened, would ran into her parents room, terrified that they were being murdered or something. When she would actually see them, though, she realized that they were safe. Her father sat next to her mother and absently rubbed her back as she cried. That was the first time Everly saw the pearl necklace.  
She knew her father had never given it to her mother. When she was nine she asked about it once. Her mother got so defensive and swung so hard from yelling in anger to bursting into tears that Everly knew never to being it up again.  
She turned over in her bed and buried her head under her pillow, hoping to drown out her mothers cries and get some sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

The awkwardness filled the room as Annie ran to Drew's bedside. Everyone had heard Drew's stories about her, so the air felt guarded. Chasity was afraid that she would start hitting him because he had been away for so long. When Annie embraced him, however, there was nothing but love in her eyes. She had actually started to cry.  
"Um, mom?" Drew asked, not hugging her back. A mixture of confusion, anger and hurt ran across his face. "How did you find me?"  
Annie didn't answer. She just kept crying into his shirt.  
Just then, Everly burst through the door, panting. "Sorry." She shook her curly hair from her face and turned to Drew. "I meant to walk in first and explain, but your mother ran ahead of me."  
"It's…fine." He wiggled slightly. "I guess."  
Glory, who had gotten up when Annie ran into the room, was now leaning against the wall with Emerson. Her eyes widened as her hands twisted in front of her. "So, this is your mother?"  
Drew nodded silently.  
Glory pointed a thumb at the door. "Well then, I'm just gonna go get something to drink. You know, so you two can have some…..family time." She pushed past Everly on her way out, not waiting for anyone's protests. Emerson followed her quietly.  
Chasity didn't blame them. She had only ever met Drew's mom a handful of times and they were never pleasant visits. There was something about her that made Chasity always feel on edge.  
Velvet cleared her throat and mumbled something about going to make sure the twins didn't cause any trouble and scurried out of the room after them.  
They all waited in silence as Annie cried herself out. None of them knew if comforting her would do any good, so Chasity just twirled her thumbs and Everly bounced on her toes. Occasionally Drew patted his mother's back, but his complicated expression didn't change.  
Soon, Annie stopped sobbing. As she pulled herself upright, she furiously wiped at her face.  
"Mom? Are you ok, now?" Drew asked. He reached out a tentative hand and laid it on her shoulder. Annie looked down at it, almost confused. He held his breath as she stared. Shrugging him off, his mother stood up, hugged herself and walked over the only window. She looked out over District Four in silence, leaving the three teenagers curious.  
"Ok," Drew sat up, the physical pain from his wound apparent. "That was weird."  
Chasity and Everly both ran over to the bed and sat down on either side of him. Everly was afraid to touch anything for fear of hurting him more, but Chasity instantly laced her hand with his.  
"Damn," Drew smirked. "I've got two girls in bed with me at once. New personal record."  
Chasity smacked his chest, making him wince. "Shut up."  
"I still can't believe this happened to you," Everly breathed. "Do you know who did it?"  
Chasity and Drew met each other's gaze for a second. Everly obviously didn't know it was her father, or at least they hoped she didn't. So how were they going to explain it?  
"He, uh-" Chasity tried but nothing came. She was an awful liar. She hoped Everly didn't notice her burning cheeks.  
"I went into town for my usual weekly food run and I got jumped." Drew shrugged. "Simple as that."  
"Simple! Drew, you almost DIED." Everly put her hands up. "Why are you playing it like it's not a big deal?"  
"Because it isn't…at least to me. I'm going to be fine, so I'm trying to get past it and move on."  
Chasity glanced up at Annie, wondering if she had heard anything they were saying. She seemed like she hadn't, which was fine with her. The less crazy she acted the better. Annie closed the blinds on the window and walked over the armchair, hugging her knees as she sat down. Drew watched her with contempt.  
"How did you find my mom, Ev?"  
Everly waved her hand. "Oh, I found her wandering around town when I was on my way over here. I recognized her from a picture you showed me years ago. She was muttering your name over and over and almost got run over because she walked out into the middle of the road."  
Drew's face twisted.  
"So, I told her I knew where you were and she followed."  
"Well," Drew sighed. "Thanks, I guess. Even though I don't like her, she is my mom and I don't want her to get hit by a car." He smirked a little. "No matter how convenient that would be."

The visit went wonderfully. At least it did for Everly. She was finally able to see Drew and put her mind to rest about his safety. She now found herself walking through the center of town. Her mother would be irate when she got home. For reasons Everly didn't understand, her mother had been keeping her from visiting Drew. Even when the doctors were sure he was going to die, she didn't let her leave the house. Maybe it had something to do with this Peeta guy her mother kept dreaming about. Whatever the reason, it pissed Everly off.  
The day of the accident, her parents had been out so she was home alone, left to face Chasity's phone call by herself. She had never been so scared in all her life. One of her best friends had been stabbed and was barely hanging onto life. When her parents got home, she expected them to be at least a little sympathetic, Drew had, after-all, practically grown up at their house. Everly ran crying to them as soon as they stepped through the door, but as she spilled out the story of what had happened, her father ducked out of the room and her mother kept brushing her off, acting like it wasn't a big deal. Everly thought she even saw her suppressing a smile.  
Over the next week, Everly begged her parents to take her to visit Drew, even if he was unconscious. They refused every time, her mother's anger growing with every "no". Strangely enough, her mother's nightmares all but stopped that week. Everly knew, because she had spent most of those nights up until she saw the sunshine, worrying about her friend. She never heard her mother cry out. Not even once.  
The day that Chasity had texted her, saying that Drew had woken up, was wonderful. At first. When she got the text, Everly stumbled out of her room to find her parents. They were both eating breakfast and jumped when Everly barged into the kitchen.  
"He's awake! He's going to be ok!" She had shouted, feeling so happy. But her parents weren't. Her father choked on his food and spilled his coffee. Before Everly could even blink, her mother had smacked the table and buried her face in her hands. When she looked up to meet her gaze, her grey eyes were dark and filled with rage. Everly instantly turned on her heel and ran from the room. She had never seen that look in her mothers eyes. Ever. And it scared the crap out of her. For the next few hours, she had tried to look at magazines and block out the shouts she heard from her kitchen. She couldn't understand why her parents were arguing, but she sure as hell wasn't going to ask.  
Now, as she strolled through town, Everly prayed that her parents wouldn't realize she had left. Despite her mother saying no for a fifteenth time, she still left and walked to the hospital. She couldn't take not seeing Drew any more, especially now that he was awake. She had called Charles to see if he wanted to go with her, but he had to stay home and help with his baby sister. That responsibility fell to him a lot, what with his mother dead and his father having to work two jobs. Everly shook her head. She had to make it home before dark. Before her parents would walk upstairs and call her to dinner.  
Turning a corner, she found herself in District Four's only park. It wasn't that big, but it had trees and grass and other park-things, so it was nice. Picking up her pace, she felt the warm summer air as it blew through her curls. A small child cut past her on a bike, their parent following closely behind. She felt the corners of her mouth turning up as she remembered learning to ride. It was actually in the very same park she was walking through. No wonder she loved it here so much.  
As Everly passed by a tree, a dark figure leapt out and grabbed her sharply by the arm. Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth. She flailed her hands, trying to grab onto something. The persons nails dug into her arm, sending pain shooting up her nerves. The person leaned forward and their perfume wafted around, sending a wave of recognition though Everly. She closed her eyes as she felt the grip tighten.  
"Never run away from a former hunter, sweetheart," her mother hissed in her ear. "Or I'll make sure to do more than just scratch up your arm."


End file.
